According to Utusan Malaysia, the plans were outlined in a meeting attended by Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales, along with Proton CEO Datuk Abdul Harith Abdullah and Lotus COO Aslam Farikullah.

The report cited the Lotus APX Concept from the 2006 Geneva Motor Show (pictured, top of page) as evidence of long-term plans for the carmaker to build an SUV.

But the meeting reportedly revealed that the new SUV model will look nothing like the APX, begging the question of where Lotus may source a ‘donor’ platform from.

Proton currently has no SUV in its Malaysian line-up, and it’s highly unlikely any of Lotus’ current range of sports car platforms would lend themselves to the ‘jacked-up’ SUV treatment.

1989 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton

Lotus may therefore surprise its fans by going it alone and building an SUV from scratch, opening the door for Proton to add its own interpretation of the model to its range in the future.

As for the large sedan, Lotus is no stranger to the segment with its famous Vauxhall Lotus Carlton from 1989 – once voted the best Vauxhall of all time - believed to be one of the fastest four-door models available at launch.

Lotus already provides tuning for the Proton Preve GXR, but Proton’s larger Inspira sedan may not be ‘large’ enough for the planned future model.

Of course there’s always carmakers besides Proton for Lotus to team up with, or the large sedan (if it happens) may also be an all-new model.